Adidas Solar Ride Performance Review

A brand-new addition to the adidas Solar line, the Solar Ride is a straightforward, no-frills, daily trainer meant to rack up long miles in comfort.

In short, these are about as basic a running shoe as you’ll ever find. There are zero standout qualities, but there are equally no overly bad qualities. It is a shoe that doesn’t rock the boat. It’s a safe bet for those who don’t want to over think about what they’re running in. It’s the government accountant of running shoes.

The Good

The Solar Ride is a shoe that doesn’t overthink design and comfort. It just does it with zero gimmicks. It’s hard to even write much about it because the spec sheet is like five lines long. It has a supportive Forgedmesh upper, a durable Adiwear outsole, and a Bounce midsole. Done.

And you know what? It’s fine. It’s not going to change your running life, and if you’re a super serious runner, you already know you’re going with the Boost or Glide. This is for the common man (or woman).

I ran a few slow eight-mile runs in these and my legs felt great afterwards because there’s certainly enough comfort to last for miles upon miles. They’re also just a great “walking around” shoe.

The Bad

I mean, there’s nothing overly bad about the shoe, aside from the weight. It’s an oinker at 11.4 oz. for my size 7.5. Padding abounds—the tongue is essentially a recycled La-Z-Boy couch cushion. Even so, it didn’t ride terribly, in part due to its 10mm drop (27 in the heel/17 in the front). I’ve worn far heavier-feeling shoes in the 11 oz. range.

The density of materials in its quest for comfort doesn’t exactly put this shoe in the “breathable” category. Your feet will be hot-boxing on those summer runs.

Adidas Solar Ride Conclusion

I really don’t have much good or bad to say about this shoe, so it’s hard to break it down. It’s a budget-friendly adidas model for a casual runner or walker. If you’re looking for comfort with a low price tag, look no further, especially if you like adidas or the style of the more expensive Solar Glide/Boost/Drive.

Robbe is the Digital Marketing Manager for Big Run Media/BITR. He lives in Baltimore with his wife and two sons and runs with the Faster Bastards. His favorite race distance is the marathon and his favorite beer is anything but Blue Moon.